Blue Run releases first Kentucky bourbon after being bought by beer giant Molson Coors
Blue Run Spirits, the Georgetown-based brand recently purchased by beer giant Molson Coors, is releasing a new bourbon.
Trifecta is the company’s first blend of three different Kentucky bourbons — one aged six years, one aged eight years and one aged nine years. Blue Run releases often sell out in minutes.
Whiskey director Shaylyn Gammon, recognized for her innovations at Wild Turkey where she created the best whiskey of 2021 before joining Blue Run, said that the older whiskeys were aged in the upper reaches of their respective rickhouses, giving them what she called “wood heat.”
“’Wood heat’ barrels are those that experienced the highest temperatures the warehouse has to offer due to their position at the top, forcing out the water molecules and concentrating the alcohol within the barrel,” said Gammon in a news release. “These higher-proofed barrels, in turn, extract more of the components of the wood from the barrel that can contribute a particular wood intensity to the whiskey, which needs to be approached with a knowledgeable, restrained hand when blending.”
Blue Run Spirits new release: Tasting notes, proof, price, where to buy
The final product is 117.1 proof with a nose of unsalted brown butter, French vanilla cream, warm dark brown sugar and cinnamon, spicy pepper, juicy hints of figs and dehydrated apples, according to the tasting notes. On the palate, it’s silky with notes of cinnamon spice, candied apple, bread, caramel, peppermint and white chocolate. The finish is warm vanilla and weathered oak.
The suggested retail price is $179.99; for this release, Blue Run’s signature butterfly on the bottle is pewter, an alloy made from three metals.
Blue Run Trifecta will be available to buy at retail stores nationally beginning this month and online at bluerunspirits.com starting at 3 p.m. Aug. 23.
It’s the first Blue Run bourbon since the 2022 holiday collection, 12 Days of Bourbon.
Molson Coors said they will go forward with Blue Run’s plan to build an innovative new $51 million distillery in Georgetown designed by the same architecture firm that designed Google’s headquarters.
This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 11:04 AM.
